Syracuse, NY . . . . at a press conference held April 19th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse Jazz Fest officials joined with Amazon representatives and elected officials from New York State, Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse to jointly announce that Syracuse Jazz Fest - the popular and long-running music festival which has been on hiatus the past 5 years - will be making it's return to Downtown Syracuse's Clinton Square and a variety of indoor city nightspots in June of 2022.
According to festival officials, the 2022 edition of Syracuse Jazz Fest in Downtown Syracuse will run for three nights from Thursday, June 23rd through Saturday June 25th, and will feature performances by International and National Artists on the festival's Clinton Square Outdoor Stage as well as 20 performances by 20 of Syracuse's finest jazz groups who will appear at a variety of downtown nightclubs, bars, restaurants and performances venues. 2022 festival headliners include Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., David Sanborn, Sheila Jordan, Harvie S & Roni Ben-Hur, Average White Band, Boney James, The Urban Knights, and Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Cha's. Featured Syracuse jazz stars appearing at the outdoor stage and on the club stages include The Salt City Jazz Collective Big Band, Nancy Kelly, Bob Holz & A Vision Forward, and Ronnie Leigh.
Festival Founder Frank Malfitano was quick to thank and praise Amazon Representatives and local, state and federal elected officials for bringing the festival back. "We couldn't possibly be more grateful to New York State, Onondaga County, the City of Syracuse and US Senator Chuck Schumer (NY), and Amazon for co-sponsoring and bringing Syracuse Jazz Fest back to Downtown Syracuse this June." Malfitano said, "I know we're all thrilled to see this longtime Syracuse summertime tradition coming back, and that would simply not have been possible without Amazon's support."
“Syracuse Jazz Fest is a local, cultural touchstone, and as a company committed to re-imagining how customers experience music, this partnership was a natural fit for us,” said Carley Graham Garcia, Head of Community Affairs, Amazon New York. “We’re thrilled to be part of the resumption of Syracuse Jazz Fest and excited to see it return to Downtown Syracuse.”
Founded by noted jazz impresario Frank Malfitano, the Free-admission Syracuse Jazz Fest ran successfully from 1982 to 2017, receiving 4 international awards and 30 regional and national awards for community service, educational outreach and artistic excellence. During that 35-year span, Syracuse Jazz Fest presented free musical performances by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan and countless others.
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